30 Days of Biking starts April 1

​Thirty Days of Biking, a Minneapolis-born tradition designed to encourage cycling, is only two weeks away.

The now-annual challenge started in 2010 as a pledge among Patrick Stephenson and his friends. Through social media, it's now gone international -- Stephenson says he's counted 88 countries where people participate.

The event is pretty much self explanatory, says Stephenson. "What it basically comes down to is a pledge to ride everyday in April, and then you share your adventures on Twitter and Facebook."

After signing up, it's up to the individual cyclists to hold themselves accountable. If someone misses a day, it can be made up the following month.

"It's like a fun challenge that we're all doing together," says Stephenson. "So we're not going to be super hardcore about it. We just want people to bike, basically."

So far, this year's event is off to a good start. More than 1,200 people have already signed up. Among them: Greg LeMond, a three-time winner of the Tour de France.

Local artist Adam Turman also created a print to promote the event:

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By the time April rolls around, Stephenson expects 4,000 people to get on board.